04 Jan Most expensive UK airport car parks revealed
The most expensive and cheapest airport car parks across the UK have been revealed after a new study found vast pricing differences up and down the country.
Travel experts at FlightsFinder.com have analysed the fifteen busiest airports in the UK to find out who charges their customers high prices and which have kept their costs low.
The findings have been published online as the UK Airport Cost of Parking Index, focusing on the cheapest parking available during a one week period in February.
The research found that Heathrow airport was the most expensive to park at for one week – charging £123 per vehicle.
The cheapest for airport parking was Edinburgh – charging holidaymakers just £34.99 for the seven days.
This is almost a £90 difference in the most expensive to the least expensive airports for parking in the UK.
In the three cheapest airports, Scotland was listed twice – with Glasgow ranking second most affordable at £54.99 for a week’s stay.
Heathrow is the only airport to charge travellers over £100 – as the second most expensive was East Midlands airport at £81.39 for the seven days.
Only four airports set their weekly parking fee under £60 – Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast International, and Edinburgh.
Stansted, Leeds Bradford and Birmingham airports all charged holidaymakers between £60 and £70 to park their vehicles.
The only Welsh airport to make the list – Cardiff – ranked the seventh most expensive at £72.99.
Four of the London airports make the list – Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Gatwick. All besides Stansted make the top six most expensive UK airport car parks.
Outside of the capital city, the airport with the largest passenger numbers is Manchester with 23.3 million travelling through annually.
The northern airport is eighth most expensive for those wanting to park for a week – charging £71.99.
The fourth cheapest airport car park in the UK is Liverpool – with a weekly fee of £55.99. This is just £1 more than the cost at Glasgow airport.
Newcastle ranked as the fifth most expensive at £77.99, and is one of the eight airports in the table that charges their customers over £70 to park their cars for the week.
Shahab Siddiqui, founder of FlightsFinder.com said: “Airport car parking charges vary dramatically depending on which part of the country you’re flying from.
“We’ve found that the most expensive airport (Heathrow) charges customers almost £90 more than the most affordable (Edinburgh), for the exact same times and dates.
“When travellers are already having to pay hundreds if not thousands towards the cost of their holiday – airports are now leaving Brits with little choice than to add on another expense on top of everything else.
“Three of the London airports have been ranked in the top six most expensive holiday car parks all charging over £74 for a week. Stansted is at the other end of the rankings charging travellers at least £12 less at £61.99.
“The three cheapest airports for seven days of parking are outside of England and Wales – Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast International.
“Cardiff airport is the seventh most expensive at £72.99. East Midlands airport comes in at second most expensive in the UK behind Heathrow – with a fee of £81.39 for travellers parking their cars.”
